Sudanese Prime Minister Urges Global Support for Initiative to Lift Siege of El Fasher

Sudan Events – Agencies

Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris on Saturday appealed to regional and international partners, as well as to all Sudanese, to rally behind an initiative launched by the National Committee to Lift the Siege of El Fasher, aimed at ending the suffering of residents in the capital of North Darfur State.

The committee officially began its work during a meeting in Port Sudan, held under the patronage of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and overseen by Darfur Regional Governor Minni Arko Minawi.

Idris said he has been in contact with the UN Secretary-General and the UN Security Council, urging them to respond to the humanitarian appeal and help end the blockade of El Fasher. He added that he would raise the issue before the United Nations General Assembly in the coming days.

Mohamed al-Amin Tirk, deputy head of the National Committee, described the body as an extension of national efforts and a message to the world and its institutions that Sudan remains a state guided by its government and people.

He lamented the international silence over the crisis in El Fasher, calling it deeply disappointing, and estimated that around 916,000 people trapped inside the city require at least one meal a day, at a cost of seven million Sudanese pounds.

Multiple Tracks

Baher Idris Abu Garda, head of the National Committee, told Al Jazeera Net that the committee’s first steps to break the siege would focus on two key tracks: channeling funds to save starving civilians — which began immediately on Saturday — and providing financial and manpower support to the armed forces and allied groups fighting to reach El Fasher.

He added that other supporting tracks include community and humanitarian efforts to engage with regional and international organizations, as well as diplomatic initiatives to pressure states backing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

El Fasher has faced a deepening humanitarian catastrophe since June 10, 2024, as fierce battles rage between the Sudanese army and the RSF. Dozens of civilians have been killed in recent days, while residents endure a suffocating siege and deliberate starvation amid troubling international inaction.

Military sources told Al Jazeera on Friday that RSF drones bombed several neighborhoods in the city, following a bloody day that left more than 70 people dead.

Source: Al Jazeera